Wednesday, August 19, 1998 Last modified at 12:42 a.m. on Wednesday, August 19, 1998

Presidential historian expects Clinton approval ratings to rise

By MONIQUE A. HITCHINGS

Avalanche-Journal

President Clinton's approval ratings will go up, despite his admission to an inappropriate relationship with a young White House intern, presidential historian Jim Garrett said Tuesday.

"The economy is excellent; unemployment is at an all-time low. There are too many positive things going well ... and (the public) attributes him to providing those things," said Garrett, a vice president at Methodist Hospital.

After first informally interviewing President Harry S. Truman for a junior high school report at the age of 13, and meeting with every president and first lady since, Garrett knows his business when it comes to the nation's highest office.

"Because I was in the military I had all those clearances that you have to have nowadays to be able to get into the White House," Garrett said. He now interviews presidents for the Library of Congress.

While the nation is in turmoil, wondering what to believe about the president, Garrett said the office itself will remain untainted.

"The office survives; the office is not going to be hurt," he said.

A question that remains unanswered is the president's right to a truly private life. In his national address Monday night, Clinton said "even presidents have private lives."

But the American people expect the president, as their elected leader, to live up to a higher standard, Garrett said, and candidates should consider that before running for office.

"When you are president of the United States of America, you are a public person, and you have an obligation to the American public to represent those people as a morally just individual," Garrett said.

Garrett said presidents have historically thought they were above the government and therefore not subject to such in-depth investigation as Clinton.rrnecyniannnoimi

But Garrett said the president can and always will be scrutinized.

"The president is not beyond the laws of the United States government," Garrett said.

But whether Clinton broke the law is not a black and white issue. The inappropriate behavior with former White House intern Monica Lewinsky may not be an impeachable offense, but questions remain about Clinton's truthfulness during his January deposition.

Garrett said Clinton may not get impeached because the issues were "more personal" and didn't "deal with the security of the United States government."

But if Clinton lied about his relationship with Lewinsky in a sworn testimony, Garrett said, that raises questions about his honesty concerning governmental matters.

"It's up to personal interpretation," Garrett said. "We're half-way through the second term, and that's certainly enough time to get rid of (Clinton)."